Royal Navy seizes £2.5m worth of hash in Middle East raid
A Royal Navy warship has seized £2.5m-worth of hashish just days after helping to evacuate civilians from Sudan.
HMS Lancaster was on her regular security patrol in the Arabian Sea as part of the international Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), a coalition dedicated to anti-smuggling and anti-terrorist activities, when she came across a suspicious boat at last light.
Royal Marines from 42 Commando boarded the suspicious vessel and discovered a large number of packages on the deck.
The marines were joined by a team of sailors and a search found almost 200 packages, with each containing around 11kg of cannabis resin, more commonly known as hashish.
In total, 3.22 tonnes of the drug were found and transferred to the warship.
It is estimated the haul, which was later destroyed, would be worth £2.5m on the UK wholesale market.
Warrant Officer Gaz Head, HMS Lancaster's Executive Warrant Officer, said everyone onboard the ship should be "justly proud of this significant seizure and the effort given that made it possible".
"From first discovering the ship, then on through the night until the early hours, Lancaster ship's company worked tirelessly and with little rest to ensure that three tonnes and £2.5m worth of cannabis resin will not reach the streets," he said.
It is the first drugs bust by the ship since she arrived in the Middle East, taking over from HMS Montrose - whose drugs busts totalled nearly £50m last year.
Commander Tom Johnson, HMS Lancaster's Commanding Officer, said: "I am exceptionally proud of my team for their efforts last night which resulted in over three tonnes of narcotics being seized."
The Royal Navy is currently leading the CTF 150, with the security mission supported by 38 navies and polices over two million square miles of ocean.
It is commanded by the Royal Navy's Captain James Byron from Bahrain and has seized around £40m of illegal narcotics under his leadership.
He said working with HMS Lancaster was "quite special, bringing together the UK Component Commander, a UK warship, and the UK command of CTF 150".
"This operation shows the flexibility and professionalism of HMS Lancaster brilliantly; one day supporting the evacuation from Sudan, and the next countering illicit drugs smuggling," he said.
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